


Thief

by JadeJem



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, LadyNoir - Freeform, Love, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Oblivious Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 08:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeJem/pseuds/JadeJem
Summary: In which Chat Noir confronts his new feelings for "normal girl" Marinette Dupain-Cheng and discusses it with Ladybug.





	Thief

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, loves. Sorry I haven't been posting my pieces on here, lately! I'm the most active on Miraculous Amino and Wattpad.
> 
> Wattpad: JRArmitage
> 
> Miraculous Amino: Jade
> 
> That's not my exact username for MA, but everyone in the community knows who I am. XD
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Quite contradictory, isn't it?

A thief.

Isn't everyone a thief of sorts? Stealing air from the sky, land from the earth, fish from the sea?

Even more so, a hero being a thief. Now how does that work?

Chat Noir shakes his head, ridding himself of such thoughts.

 _No,_ he decides. _Ladybug is no thief. I gave her my heart of my own accord._

The heated air rushes past Chat in a last attempt to bring forth the rain that comes with spring, but to no avail. No, it is now officially summer. School that day had gone out with a bang... literally. Adrien had been so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of air-horns everyone had brought to school, he had nearly passed out when the bell rang and every other student had raised their air-horn high and set it off.

There's still an eerie ringing in Adrien's ears, but he finds himself smiling fondly at the memory. The air-horns had sure woken up his dozing classmate, Marinette. Poor girl had not-so gracefully screamed and toppled out of her chair.

Chat's cheeks warm at the mental picture of her long dark lashes casting shadows over her porcelain cheeks of light rose, her cherry blossom lips parted, her cute button-nose dotted with freckles barely noticed, her bangs of midnight hanging lazily over her forehead...

 _Marinette Dupain-Cheng, huh?_ his conscience teases.

Rather than denying it like Adrien usually does, he simply lets it go. What's the point of denying it anymore?

 _Marinette_ is the thief.

Adrien never even saw her coming! One minute, she's his nervous, stuttering, blushing classmate, then the next she's this shockingly beautiful, sweet, confident, witty girl whom Adrien had begun to dream about at night, as creepy as that sounds.

Chat Noir begins pacing the current roof he's standing on.

Oh, no! Marinette not only steals his sleep away, but she also steals his thoughts during the day, as well! Steals his attention, steals his every waking _minute!_

It's true. Adrien had given Ladybug his heart. Had she accepted it?

No.

In fact, Marinette had stolen it so easily that Adrien finds himself worrying about his mental health.

Does Marinette even like Adrien? She's always been so... intimidated by him. Oh, god. What if she's scared of him? What if she hates him? How can he even approach her in school? What would she say if he asked her out...?

Being as rapt by his thoughts as he is, Chat Noir doesn't hear the swift approach of the other half of the duo. Ladybug strolls up beside Chat. When he doesn't acknowledge her presence, she glances at his face, a question in her eyes.

"Chat?"

The aforementioned boy gives a start, iridescent jade eyes wide and jaw working. He turns so fast, he suffers from a small case whiplash. Rubbing his neck, he sighs and looks down at Ladybug.

"Almost gave me a heart attack, LB," he murmurs, his gloved hand sliding down the side of his neck and coming to rest in a comfortable cross over his chest with his other arm.

Ladybug quirks an eyebrow at the lack of Chat's usual ridiculous antics. "Didn't take much, did it?"

Chat smiles sheepishly, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Guess not."

The spotted super-heroine frowns. "So... what's up?" It's clearly not meant to be a casual dig, and Chat seems to pick up on that. _No personal questions!_ Marinette internally reprimands herself. 

Chat looks away from her. "Nothing."

Ladybug full-on _snorts._ "Yeah, _okay_ ," she mocks playfully, hoping to bring a smile to her partner's face.

He grimaces.

After letting out a huff of indignation, Ladybug's whole demeanor softens. "Hey," she says quietly, reaching out to touch Chat's shoulder. The action seems to jolt him from his consuming thoughts, because he turns to stare at her. Ladybug lets compassion leak into her voice as she says, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Chat cocks an eyebrow behind the mask, a spark of mischief in his eyes, and a smirk threatening to split his lips. Just as he opens his mouth, Ladybug cuts off whatever train of thought is heading her way.

"Okay, _almost_ anything," she amends, much to Chat's obvious displeasure. "Point is... you can tell me when something's bothering you. I'll listen, because I _know_ something is wrong."

Their gazes lock. Ladybug, fighting to get him to admit something's wrong. Chat, defending himself and trying to hide the truth. In the end, Chat relinquishes a sigh, letting Ladybug know that sweet, sweet victory is hers.

"Well...," Chat trails off, wincing slightly. "There's this... girl."

"Extraordinary?" Ladybug teases.

Chat smiles slightly. "Definitely."

"Beautiful?"

"Breathtakingly so, I'm afraid."

"Smart?"

"Of course!"

"Hmm," Ladybug hums, examining the expression on Chat's face.

Pure admiration.

"Aww, Kitty has a crush!" she jokes, poking him in the side with a giggle.

Chat glares down at her, though the corners of his lips perk up. "Shut up. It's... new. Well, it probably isn't. I think I've had a  crush on her for a while, actually." His expression becomes thoughtful.

"Go on...?"

The boy fidgets. "She's my classmate, and she sits behind me. Though, I haven't really started paying attention to her until recently, I suppose. I'm honestly still beating myself up over that fact." He rubs the nape of his neck sheepishly. "She's just so... _amazing_. She's selfless, talented, confident, righteous, witty, intelligent, beautiful... I'm pretty sure that I've always sort of had a little crush on her, but those feelings were hidden by my feelings for someone else." At this, Chat's gaze flicks to Ladybug only to quickly dance away.

Hearing Chat speak so earnestly about something has Ladybug's image of him shifting.

"She's a thief."

At this, Ladybug's whole form snaps to attention. She whirls on him, eyes wide. Chat glances at her, seeming to realize that he had spoken out loud, and is quick to correct himself.

"No, no. Not a literal thief. Ma—she!" he rushes to correct himself. " _She_ somehow manages to steal from me every day. She steals my heavily occupied thoughts with her laugh, steals my sweet dreams with her sweeter smile, steals my every waking moment with her dazzling eyes, and then she went and stole my heart with her words." Chat grimaces. "Oh, god. I sound like a walking piece of Shakespeare." His expression softens, and he smiles wistfully. "But it's all true..."

Ladybug's heart halts in her chest. _Who knew he was such a romantic...? I mean, a_ real _one? Maybe I don't know Chat Noir as well as I thought I did..._

"Aww!" Ladybug gushes, enjoying the way Chat's face lights up like a Christmas tree. "That is _adorable!_ " She grins. "So have you asked her out yet?"

Chat's embarrassment seems to leak out of his face, leaving behind a crestfallen boy in its wake. "I really want to... but I think she might hate me or strongly dislike me."

A scowl curves Ladybug's mask. "What?! She must be crazy! After you just said all of that, how can she _possibly_ dislike you?"

Chat turns to frown at her. "Stop. Don't hate on her, please." He looks away sadly. "There was a misunderstanding between us on the first day of school. She has every right to hate me..."

"Oh yeah?" Ladybug challenges. "And what exactly did you do that was so horrible, hm?"

"My 'friend' stuck gum to her seat, and when I went to clean it up, it looked like _I_ was the one who was sticking it there."

The story strikes a chord of familiarity in Ladybug, but she pushes any suspicions to the side. "Does she know that it was your friend?"

"Yes... I told her after school that day. She seemed to have forgiven me, but then the next day, she can barely say two words to me! I don't know what happened..." Chat's cat ears droop almost comically.

The same eerie feeling of familiarity hits Ladybug over the head with a figurative sledge hammer, making it increasingly hard to ignore.

"Really?" she grounds out, trying to sort the scattered thoughts in her head. "Doesn't sound logical to me. Oh wait! It does! Ever consider the fact that she might have a crush on you?"

Chat's confused stare burns a hole through the side of Ladybug's head. She refuses to meet his gaze, instead watching the city below her buzz with nightly activity.

"What?"

"A crush, Chat," she clarifies harshly.

"Why would Marinette—" he cuts himself off abruptly as Ladybug turns on him, eyes comically wide. He claps a hand over his mouth, and Ladybug feels her jaw fall open.

"What... did you say?" she questions slowly, watching Chat's every move intently.

Chat sighs, the energy and fight seemingly leaving him as the name rolls off his tongue again. "Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I believe you know her, if you remember the Evillustrator. You asked me to protect her while you went on a secret mission." He peeks up at her through his bangs; his golden-blonde bangs that are usually brushed to the side during the day.

The color drains out of Ladybug's face, and she loses all feeling in her toes. She flexes her fingers and licks her lips, unsure of what to make of this discovery.

"Marinette, hmm?" she finally says, glancing at Chat out of the corner of her eye. "What's so great about her? She's not much."

Chat looks at her like he's been slapped. Pure rage seeps into his expression, and Marinette idly wonders if saying that was a mistake.

"I hope you're joking, LB," Chat says quietly, his tone dangerous and low, holding a warning. He licks his lips and balls a fist at his side.

A beat passes.

"What makes you think I'm kidding?"

The fist shakes, and the look in Chat's eyes is crazed with fury. He whirls on her, teeth bared. "We may be partners, Ladybug, but I will _not_ stand by and let you insult Marinette." It sounds more like a threat than anything. "She's miraculous, probably the most miraculous girl in all of Paris; more miraculous than you are!" He stares at his clenched fist before meeting Ladybug's shocked gaze again. "If you want to judge, do it in your head. I won't hear any of it. Marinette deserves the world, and I don't need you to tell me otherwise, because I love her."

The words hang heavily in the air.

**_I love her._ **

Chat's expression changes abruptly.

"Ladybug...?"

Her hands come up to cup her mouth.

"No, no, no no. I'm sorry, m'lady. I was a little harsh. Please don't cry—oh god, please... This is the worst punishment you can give me. I'm sorry, I'm just really protective over Marinette."

A sob escapes. Warm tears run down Ladybug's flushed cheeks.

The horrified look on Chat's face morphs into one of confusion when Ladybug smiles. "Who knew Adrien Agreste was such a romantic?" She laughs through the tears, rubbing her cheeks with the heels of her palms.

The silence is so loud, Ladybug considers plugging her ears.

"What?"

She turns fully to him, an amused smile pulling at her lips. "Adrien Agreste? Famous model, sophomore in high school, fencing extraordinaire, also leads a double life that involves saving Paris...? Know the guy?" The teasing tone of her voice does nothing to help the frivolous way Chat's eye twitches.

"H-how did you...? How long have you...?"

"Oh, no worries. I just found out now. The whole thing about this girl being Marinette and her sitting behind you in class gave everything away." Ladybug props her elbow on her knee and leans against it.

When Chat says nothing, Ladybug continues to poke fun.

"So, Adrien," she drawls, a lazy smile curving her features, "how's fencing been lately? I hear you have a competition coming up."

She positively beams at the wide-eyed shock emanating off of Chat.

"Seat... class... Marinette..."

"Hm?" Ladybug hums inquiringly at her civilian name, parking her chin on the heel of her palm.

Chat continues to stare at her, the cogs working in his head at the pace of a snail.

"Only someone in my class would know that Marinette sits behind me... I mean—I said it, but you were able to place my identity based on both her location _and_ mine." Adrien's eye widen further in comprehension. "Which means you know who sits beside Marinette, behind her, diagonal from her... You have to be in my class."

Ladybug shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe not." Her eyes sparkle as she continues to gaze at Chat. "Think, Adrien. Who hasn't been akumatized?"

The gears in Adrien's head seemingly churn faster and faster, crossing out names mentally as his mind runs down the list—

"Marinette," he breathes, his wide-eyed stare aimed at the pavement far below. His eyes widen even _further_ (if that's possible), and he snaps his head towards Ladybug. She works to hide her smile behind her suited hand. "Marinette?"

Ladybug taps her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... Maybe." She shrugs, feigning ignorance poorly. "Maybe not."

"Wait," Chat says, waving his hands out in front of him in a 'stop' motion. He frowns in disbelief. "There's no _way_. There's no way I just admitted to being in love with Marinette _to_ Marinette. I can't possibly be that blind... can I?" he asks, though it sounds more hopeful than not.

"Might want to tell Mr. Agreste to get yours eyes tested; you may need glasses." Ladybug nearly snorts at Chat's expression.

"I don't believe it," Chat states, standing up and dusting himself off. "It's not possible that I'm smitten enough to fall for the same girl _twice_."

At this, Ladybug's cheeks warm. She stands up right alongside him.

"Need proof, Chaton?" she queries, the corners of her lips perking up into a shy smile.

Chat stares at her. He blinks once. Twice.

"That's her smile."

"Huh?"

"That's Marinette's smile. Where'd you get that? Give it back to her."

Ladybug rolls her eyes, though the smile remains.

"Ha-ha. Now, do I need to prove it to you, or do you believe me?"

Chat crosses his arms stubbornly. "I'm calling BS."

Ladybug shrugs carelessly. "All right, fine. I'll just yo-yo home... and if you choose to follow me to see if I land on that balcony you've been visiting lately..." She shrugs again, the ghost of a smile gracing her lips. "Bye, Chat." She waves before tossing her yo-yo and yanking it.

Ladybug flies through the air, twirling, twisting, spinning, flipping... and watching her partner run across the rooftops a ways behind her.

The spotted-heroine smirks. He must be high if he thinks it'll be this easy.

She suddenly takes a sharp turn, hurtling over the Seine and the people below. Tourists and locals below her whip out their phones as she hurtles past. She smiles charmingly for the cameras, winks, then disappears.

Ladybug lands on a random rooftop not too far from her house and turns around.

Nothing.

Had she really lost him so easily?

She shrugs, a hint of disappointment coursing through her. Whatever, she'll just go home for real this time.

The last of the sun disappears beyond the horizon as Ladybug lands on her balcony. She releases her transformation and leans against the railing, the metal warm to the touch from bathing in the sun all day. A sigh escapes her mouth.

"I should've known," she chides herself with the smallest of smiles. "And to think—I thought I had feelings for two different boys." She laughs quietly to herself, an elated feeling blowing her up like a balloon on the inside.

 _"A dream is a wish your heart makes... when you're fast asleep. Doo doo doo da da da da daduh, hm hm hm hm hm hmm."_ Marinette hums her happy tune, the smile never leaving her face as she twirls towards her Kwami. She grabs Tikki's little nubs and spins her around, causing the Kwami to tinkle with laughter. _"The dream that you wish"_ —she brings Tikki forward so her bulbous forehead is leaning on Marinette's— _"will come true."_ Her voice quivers beautifully on the last note, and Tikki smiles at Marinette.

" _Is_ it a dream come true?" the fairy teases, her big indigo eyes blinking innocently at Marinette.

Marinette smiles gently. "I suppose it is."

And while these words seem mindless and obvious to Marinette, they sure make Adrien's heart halt in his chest from below the balcony. Beat her to her own home, he had.

"A dream come true, huh?" He chuckles. "I think it's more fate than anything, Princess."

**Author's Note:**

> What a roller-coaster ride! Marichat isn't my favorite, but it has so much potential, and I find it fun to write.
> 
> I'll be posting my pieces to here more frequently from now on!
> 
> Xoxo, J.


End file.
